We are pleased to present Walk on the Wild Side, a group exhibition of three ceramic artists at TKG Editions Kyoto. The show is curated by Ichiro Hirose, the owner of "Toukyo", a gallery in Nishiazabu, Tokyo. It has been realized from Tomio Koyama's strong wish to hold an exhibition of remarkable ceramic artists selected by one of the most influential persons in Japanese contemporary ceramic art, Ichiro Hirose. Kenji Gomi, Taro Tabuchi and Kozo Takeuchi have been selected as the participating artists who continue exploring ambitious artistic practice in ceramic. Mr. Hirose contributed an excellent text about the exhibition below along with the show title, Walk on the Wild Side.

Walk on the wild side － that is their watchword.
Looking back over the past 10 years or so in ceramic art, it is remarkable that there are more and more artists who create works for daily living. Of course, it is fundamental for crafts to be rooted in the daily life and it should be welcomed. On the other hand, however, I am concerned that it seems to incline overly to one side. If those young artists who go on adventures cannot work actively apart from functionality, pottery itself will deteriorate and flattened as a result. Such misgiving would remain. The pendulum swung to one side should to move back in the opposite direction at some point. Because of this thought, I have curated this exhibition of three ceramics artists. They have created functional pieces with great passion and at the same time, they have been challenging sculptural works. In this exhibition, the viewer can enjoy the two sides of the works by three artists ？ functional pieces and sculptural works.

Kozo Takeuchi has pursed cool and fragile beauty by molding white porcelains in colonnade-like forms and crushing them randomly. Taro Tabuchi fires white porcelains in wood-fired kiln to encounter the discoloration purposely, although it is conventionally considered that crystal-clear glaze is appropriate for white corcelains. Kenji Gomi makes a complex combination of engobe, builds up an organic form, and creates unprecedented unique color and texture. Each of them has own approach yet the three artists all explore making a difference in contemporary ceramic art. 　　　　　　　　　　 
－Ichiro Hirose

*Image (left)
© Kozo Takeuchi